A friend of mine is a British-Hungarian dual citizen, who spends most of his time in Budapest driving a 1997 4.0 Range Rover. It's a crowded capital, and a gallon of petrol is $6.81 around here. Still, there's a good reason for his choice.

The British used car market is a weird one. You can get great bargains all around, but when it comes to insurance, things can get complicated. It can cost way more than what the car is worth in the first few years, especially if you're young and live in London. On top of that, the demand for younger sedans keeps their prices higher (at around $4,800 for a good one), and you can't expect too much luxury when all you have to trade in are portraits of the Queen.

Woah there. UK insurance depends hugely on length of time driven, age, how many points on your…
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The 1997 Range Rover, on the other hand, cost him $2,256 with the 4.0 V8, air conditioning and other luxuries you would expect from the imperial SUV. Insured together with his classic Citroën CX back in the UK resulted in a good deal, and the all-season all-terrain tires mean he won't have to buy a winter set to stay safe in the city. Not to mention nobody will touch an old Range Rover with a British license plate, even if it's parked on the street.

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When I asked him about the running costs, I got the following:

As long as I save this much on the other side, I really don't give a fuck if it gets 13 mpg or not. I've got a V8 after all.

Can't argue with that. Older British SUVs in the city just got the green light from the system itself.